The Innovative Features Of A Tablet PC

ByJason H. D. Smith
For several decades since the invention of the personal computer, manufacturers had been trying to develop a computing device that was as simple to use as a writing tablet or slate. Even though portable computers like laptops, notebooks and Netbooks have come closer to achieving that goal, they have never really been simple enough to use. Rather, they were portable versions of their desktop counterparts. The true Tablet PC never saw the light of day until after the turn of the century.
During the early 2000s, Microsoft developed a product known as the Microsoft Tablet PC. Even though the device came close to being the first ever practical tablet computer, it really never took off in the general consumer market. It had a small niche market like hospitals and outdoor businesses which needed a portable computing device that was handy and easy to use. However, it was the Apple iPad released in 2010 which really made the Tablet PC a commercial success worldwide.
Here are a few innovative features of Tablet PCs:
Tablet PCs use an OS derived from mobile operating systems instead of using modified versions of a desktop OS. This makes the tablet extremely light in terms of using resources like computing power and memory space.
They come with touch sensitive screens and do not require input devices like an external keyboard or mouse. A virtual keyboard allows users to type in data. The touch screens have multi-touch capabilities that allow multi-touch gestures like moving two fingers diagonally across a picture to zoom in. These touch sensitive screens use capacitive touch technology and are more responsive than resistive screens used in stylus driven devices.
They use a version of the ARM architecture processor which was basically used in cell phones and MP3 players earlier. This gives the device a much longer battery life and portability. The processor architecture is powerful enough to support internet browsing, gaming and light production work.
The breaking away from the reliance on proprietary OS platforms has enabled Tablet PCs to have third-party developers create countless apps for various different applications. The apps can be purchased and downloaded instantly, and can greatly enhance the functionality of the device.
Tablets use solid-state storage drives which use flash memory technology instead of mechanical disk drives. This makes them much more robust and faster with "instant-on" warm boot times.
After the release of the Apple iPad, several other manufacturers have taken the cue and come up with different versions of the tablet. The future of mobile computing is therefore extremely bright with the constant innovation of new features for the Tablet PC.
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Technology Runs Our World

Electronics, computers, and other gadgets have made our everyday lives easier, not to mention a lot more fun. While many people understand that technology has increased convenience and made our already fast-paced society even faster, they fail to realize how much dependence they actually place on such things. Our houses are full of electronics, computers, and gadgets that we use from the time we wake up until the time we close our eyes (and some even run while we are sleeping!) Most of our jobs come complete with a desk, a computer, and a phone to make our work efficient and effective. Without technology and the electronics and gadgets that currently run our lives, we'd be lost.
As the years progress, electronics, computers, and gadgets keep getting increasingly astounding and have opened doors and opportunities that were never able to be touched before. Computers, whether they are stationed on your home desk or portable like a laptop or netbook, keep us in touch with all of our associates, friends, and family in real time. Cell phones and smart phones have developed into mini computers and can perform a plethora of tasks from reading and sending emails, to tracking your appointment calendar, to storing a small collection of DVDs or your favorite games.
Even cars are becoming full of fun and helpful gadgets such as a GPS which will easily get you exactly where you want to go in unfamiliar locations or destinations. Voice recognition allows you to easily change the station on your radio or even make a phone call to let your date know you are running late. Purchasing a car has now become more than just choosing your favorite color, it's now about selecting all of the "bells and whistles" that make driving a car that much more exciting and convenient.
Electronics and gadgets for your house can take an ordinary day and make it extraordinary. From gadgets that play music and make light displays in your shower, to one of the many home theater and stereo systems that can make entertaining amazing, to gadgets that can automate anything and everything in your home to make your life easier, these items are a must have for anyone interested in the next hottest thing. When one takes time to think about how many electronics, computers, or gadgets they really actually use on a daily basis, they may be left speechless. Technology rules our world, everyone just has to keep up.
Keep up with the latest gadgets and see what the hot new trends are. Make sure you have something to brag to your friends about!

Taking a System Image With Clonezilla

Today, we are going to take a look at how you would clone a system and deploy it on another computer. To do this we will use the open source software Clonezilla. I have been using Clonezilla for a couple of years and found it to be a very versitile piece of software and ideal when cloning systems (and its free!!). For the purpose of this tutorial I will be using Windows 7 and Clonezilla running from a live cd.
Before you use Clonezilla
You have to prepare your Windows system before you can clone it. The first thing to do is to add all the applications you want on the new system. Once you have done that we need to remove all the unique identifiers (e.g passwords, activation codes etc). For that we need sysprep.
Go to:
Start - Computer - Local Disk (C:) - Windows - System32 - sysprep - sysprep
Once you start sysprep you should get a screen with the following options.
1. System Cleanup Action
2. Shutdown Options
Make sure that you set the System Cleanup Action to OOBE and that the generalize box is ticked. You should also set Shutdown Options to Shutdown. Once configured click ok. This will start the sysprep tool and once complete will shut down the system.
Starting Clonezilla
It is time to boot the system from the Clonezilla live cd. On the startup screen leave the default and press return.
On the next screen you will be asked to pick your language. Press return when you have chosen.
On the next screen you will be asked for your keymap configuration. Unless you know what you are doing I would recommend you don't touch this and use the Don't touch keymap option.
You will now be asked if you would like to start the Clonezilla software or enter a shell (for those so inclined). For the purpose of this tutorial chose Start Clonezilla.
We will now be asked where we would like to save the cloned system image file. Clonezilla gives you several options of where to store the file. For the purpose of this tutorial I will store it on a local device (ie my 16Gb usb penstick). When you have decided where to store the image press return and Clonezilla will mount the device.
The wizard will now ask you to configure a device as /home/partimag. Chose the same device that you mounted to store your image on so in my case it will be sdb1 as this is my 16Gb usb penstick.
The next option you will have to configure is where on your device do you want to store your image. If you don't want the image stored in a specific folder then pick / or if you want a specific folder then choose that. Once chosen press enter.
After deciding where to store the image file Clonezilla lets you configure advanced features and options by means of a wizard. You will need to decide if you want the Beginner or Expert wizard. Chose Beginner unless you have some specific options that you want to configure as this is sufficient for most peoples needs.
On the next page of the wizard you want to choose savedisk as this saves the local disk as an image for you to deploy later.
Next you have to enter a name for your saved image.
Clonezilla will now ask you to pick the source disk that should be imaged. If your computer only has one disk then Clonezilla will highlight it for you. If you have multiple disks then you will have to choose which one you want to image.
To make sure your image is restorable choose Yes check the saved image.
Now we come to the final screen. Check that you are happy with the choices shown and when ready press Enter. Your hard disk will now be imaged and saved in the location you specified earlier. You will need to be patient as this can take some time depending on the size of your hard drive.
Hi I am Chris the owner of ComTech. I provide IT support to both personal and business clients from my base in Alloa, Clacknmannanshire. Here at ComTech I am experienced in using Windows, Linux and Cisco technologies whether it be for the home or business. I also incorporate Blackberry hardware into my business, namely the Blackberry Playbook and Bold 9780. I can advise, design and implement solutions to any problems you may have so if you have IT issues just pick up the phone. Please go to http://www.comtech247.net for more information.

Comparing iPad and Other Tablet PCs

Tablet PCs may still be a luxury to most people today, but it's becoming an essential to a growing number of people, especially those who are heavy users of the computer and Internet for business. The iPad is still the most popular among all other tablet computers. Samsung, Asus, Sony, and other brands also have followed suit with their Windows-based tablets. If you're thinking of buying one, you surely would like to know which would be the best choice for you.
Obviously, the big difference between the Apple product and the other tablet PCs is the operating system. The former runs the same operating system as the popular iPhone - the iOS, while the latter runs the complete Windows OS. iOS is strictly a mobile operating system and not the same OS designed for a Mac. With an iOS, you can only use its exclusive software system that's specifically made for a mobile device. If you use a tablet PC, on the other hand, you can load the same programs and applications that you can put onto your regular desktop or notebook PC. The only things that can limit you are your tablet's own limitations including memory and storage space.
The touch screen of an iPad is also different from other tablet PCs. It's called a capacitive type of touch screen, which works best for finger input. It's great if you want a highly responsive screen for your virtual keyboard input and other computer activities that require your fingers' interaction with the screen. If you're more comfortable working without a stylus, then the Apple product is for you. But this is not to say that you can't use a stylus on it, because you can purchase a specially designed stylus for it.
Windows-based tablets have resistive touch screen, which are quite the opposite of the capacitive type - more responsive when used with a stylus. This makes these tablet PCs a good choice for those who need handwriting-to-text functions.
Lastly, all the software programs that you can use on the Apple product have all been approved by the manufacturer, so you're sure that every one of them will run smoothly. Tablet PCs, meanwhile, can accommodate various programs, including those that may not be compatible with particular brands and models.
If you're planning to buy one of these products, even before comparing the prices of iPad and other tablet PC brands, the best thing to do is determine why you need it and how you're going to use it. In this way, you'll be able to know which brand and model will give you the best satisfaction.
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Cloud Computing: A New Paradigm in the IT Industry

As the IT field evolves, it becomes more mature, the need to optimize cost naturally drives the innovation and creativity. The new concept coupled with technology, which is now doing rounds is 'cloud computing'.
I had come across people, with limited IT knowledge enquiring me as what is 'cloud computing'?. Though, I had tried to explain to them in best possible way, most of the time, I end up a vacant stare from them, which was indicative that they did not understand the concept or background behind cloud computing.
What is cloud computing?.
Quite recently, I have started giving them example of home with kitchen Vs restaurant towards explaining the concept behind 'cloud computing'. A kitchen at home is dedicated for home, the resources - may it be the vessels or appliances or the cooking person is dedicated to that home. The owner of the home invests in kitchen and avails the benefit of having the kitchen to him or her or the members of his family. It's the owner of the house who has to maintain the kitchen. When one compares home kitchen with restaurant, the end objective is same, which is specific food is offered, but how food is prepared or serviced is different. One does not own anything is a restaurant except for the food offered. In a nutshell same is concept between Traditional IT offering Vs cloud computing.
Just like home kitchen, in case of traditional IT offering, the company owns the hardware and licenses for software and at times company outsources application development to a 3rd party which is comparable to chef hired (if a person is rich) to prepare food at home. With evolution of IT sector in hardware & software, we are marching towards 'restaurant' model of IT services; you just pay for what is your end objective - 'processed food' or 'services'. Like in a restaurant, in which you are only concerned about the quality of food and expected service offering and not much bothered about who is the chef, waiter or the kitchen appliances or even where the kitchen is, so is the case with 'cloud computing', the customer is focused on service offering and not on hardware, software, raw information or resources employed to provide the service offering or end product.
Organizations are not going to jump into cloud computing, they would evolve and move towards characteristic of cloud computing infrastructure over period of time as they feel confident about the same. As far as cloud computing is concerned, I believe we are at stage, similar to, as of early 90's with respect to IT services outsourcing. IT services were outsourced, so that organization could concentrate on the 'core' business area, cloud computing could well be a further step forward.
Now, let look at the service models normally considered in cloud computing.
SAaS: Software - as - a service:
This model is talked about quite some time now, business application are hosted on server maintained by data centers. Legal issues, security, integration and confidentiality of data of the deterring factors on this model at this point of time. Once policies, procedures, standards get defined and refined our the period of time, this is bound to get adopted, over period of time.
In terms of usage, the application are accessed through web browser and terms and condition could be governed by service level agreements.
Possible examples could be simple free generic email service to complex ERP system..
IaaS: Infrastructure - as - a service:
Computation servers, storage, hardware are considered under this service model. One would also find free on storage offered in web, this could be referred as IaaS.
PaaS: Platform - as - a service:
Development and deployment platform could be offered as a service to developers to build, deploy manage, application on SAaS.
If one looks at cloud deployment strategy, its normally, public, private and hybrid clouds. I feel the name itself quite significant to describe about the type.
The next question is any one's mind would be, what kind of hardware does one require towards hosting cloud computing?.
At this point of time, normally cloud computing is deployed in traditional model. By traditional model, I mean one might have a server to cater database tier or application tier, which is almost a 'silos' based model. But, since cloud computing, one need to have efficient hardware and manpower(refer to my example of restaurant) to manage cloud better in a data centre. This is where hardware could play a main role, the new technology like grid computing, real application clusters, automatic storage management, server scale up and server virtualization features plays in important role toward better management and deployment of cloud.
As we progress, we would well be moving away from 'Silos' based computer system and application. Cloud computing infrastructure would be residing in data centre, this would call for efficient use of hardware and more over manpower would need to support multiple servers or application. Optimization and effective control would play larger roles in infrastructure management of these data centre towards cloud computing.
Standards in cloud computing are evolving and as per a leading standards organization, some of the key characteristics towards cloud computing are,
Resource Pooling:The provider's computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model. There is a sense of location independence in that the customer generally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources.
Rapid elasticity: Capabilities can be elastically provisioned and released, in some cases automatically, to scale rapidly outward and inward commensurate with demand. To the consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can be appropriated in any quantity at any time.
Measured service: Cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized service.
As this leads to a situation where, cloud computing needs to provide services wherein there is zero downtime and resources being shared, so naturally hardware for cloud computing is getting evolved, the technology related to Grid computing, clustering - RAC, better performing servers and server virtualization has been increasing offered by vendors towards satisfying the characteristics of cloud computing.
A brief look at the terminologies and technology used,
A cluster consists of a group of independent but interconnected computers whose combined resources can be applied to a processing task. A 'clusterware' is a term used to describe software that provides interfaces and services that enable and support a cluster. The combination of clusterware, automatic storage management provides a unified cluster solution that is the foundation to real application cluster database.
Real application clusters allows multiple nodes in a clustered system to mount and open a single database that resides on shared disk storage. Should a single system (node) fail, the database service will still be available on the remaining nodes.
It might still require few more years before cloud computing matures and it might well re-define the IT outsourcing map.
The author is PMP certified professional and writes his own blog at http://indian-amps.blogspot.com
http://indian-amps.blogspot.com

How Security Can Be A Concern With Dedicated Servers

ByPhilip Fransis
When it comes to e-commerce business, security is one of the topmost concerns. It gains further importance with this since they involve multiple economic investments. Hence, if you are planning to buy a sophisticated and expensive server, you must make the effort of checking out the security issues thoroughly.
Once you are in charge of a server plan, you are solely responsible for its functioning and security. It is better not to rely blindly on the tall promises of the company about providing you the most secure dedicated server packages. This is simply because it can become completely secure only if it possesses specific features to deal with various issues.
Features of a secure dedicated server
You require a control panel for handling the server efficiently. These servers mostly have control panels written in PHP application. Now, PHP needs to be upgraded regularly in order to gain full proof security. A good secure dedicated server would have PHP application equipped with the latest security updates that helps it stay ahead of the hackers.
You can avail the benefit of installing scripts for your site with some server hosting packages. Just like the other components, these scripts too need to be updated. You must conduct a comparative analysis of these scripts and control panel components to understand what version is being offered by your website hosting provider.
The security can be further ensured by changing passwords from time to time, installing a firewall, updating software, monitoring the server, preventing virus attacks, configuring backups and getting rid of extra services not required by your server.
What are the possible security threats to dedicated server?
You must ensure that you receive the latest versions of PHP from your web host provider. Also, he must agree to update the application as and when required. If updates are not done regularly on the browser, it becomes unable to detect the threats that could pose a challenge to the security of your server. Hence, up-to-date control panels and other components help reduce the vulnerabilities of your server.
Dedicated accounts generally come with FTP accounts. The advantage of FTP account is that it can be used for quick uploading of files on websites. However, by means of specific settings it is possible to login and run anonymous FTP accounts without passwords. If such easy access falls into wrong hands, cases of FTP accounts could turn into a security threat for your website. Unsafe login sessions are yet another problem and call for an upgraded browser to let you work in a secure environment.
Your IP and Domain name can also be sources of threats for your dedicated server. It is possible to use them to upload files and even wrongly consume your bandwidth and disk space. Since various aspects are controlled through root access to your dedicated account, it is necessary to monitor security threats associated with root access by using your control panel.
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New And Latest Technology - 5 Reasons We Have To Have It

When new technology comes out, does your heart flutter and you start to obsess about it? Don't worry, you aren't alone. There are so many new and creative technological innovations on the market these days, and it's perfectly normal to want the latest technology. Here are some of the most common reasons people are always getting the latest and greatest gadgets.
1. New technology is fun to use. The interfaces are always so pretty and streamlined and efficient, and it makes the old methods seem clunky. It's always fun to explore the brilliant ideas that have become reality and are in your hands. You will always get that little shock of surprise when you realize that the things you've always dreamed you could do are actually possible now.
2. Using the most recent technology gives you bragging rights. You feel like you're on top of your peer queue when you're the one that has the cutting edge tech and can sit in the coffee shop talking about all the new things your new device can do. You can even show off your devices and tell everyone how awesome they are.
3. Since the newest models are almost guaranteed to be thinner, shinier, has a brighter or larger screen, not only does the new technology look great, but it handles better too. This helps it fit in our pockets or purses for mobile devices and integrate more seamlessly into our homes for home technology.
4. Newer technology enables you to simplify your life in many ways by automating things you need to do and make it a lot easier to do a lot of other things. For example, mobile devices help you communicate with people and businesses from anywhere, and that makes it easier for you to use every minute of your day.
5. Most everyone gets an emotional high when they purchase new things and purchasing new tech is no different. It's fun and exciting to come home with something in a shiny new package and look forward to getting to use it in the months and years to come. In addition, we love to give technology as gifts because we know that most people will appreciate having these items.
There's a reason people stand in long lines to be the first to buy the latest technology. It's because new technology is almost always better than the older technology. Therefore, when old technology wears out and needs to be replaced or when something unlike anything before comes out, it makes sense to get the best technology possible.
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How Technology Assists Us In Developing Our Business

ByAnnant Panday
Technology in our world is the sector that is helping us all round and in business it is the most grooming and growing sector. Here information technology is the topmost growing service sector. It is providing us better services and products equipped with the latest technical tools. Whether the business is small or large the engineers advanced versions of techniques that make the process easy and productive.
Here the latest tools and techniques work as they reduce the manual intervention and provide us automated services and products. This makes the task fast and productive according to the requirement of the business process. In order to achieve and manage the increased business tasks the firm must use the enhanced IT processes and tools. It helps the firm to maintain its productivity and serve the clients with quality in their products and services. If we want to keep our clients data and information safe and secure we can use the encryption technology. This preserves the privacy of the clients as well. Differently they take the help of the companies that provide IT infrastructure support services for these purposes.
Security is another important area where information technology is playing an important role in making our information secure. It is also serving the health care sector majorly in maintaining and keeping the electronic record of patients' safe and out of the reach of mischievous users and hackers. With different antivirus programs that are constantly developed and updated with latest technologies we can protect our computer systems from various virus attacks. It is good to install a strong anti-virus program on our PC to prevent the online threats and malwares. These programs are updated time to time as it is necessary to detect the viruses which also change their formats to keep them active. We can make our data backups and can also access it from different remote location with the use data backup and recovery technologies.
Now there are various programs which are being used by the business IT support services provider. They use them to provide technical support to their clients and here another role of technology starts. The role is connecting them to their clients without going in front of them they can do text chats, video chats, data sharing and data transfer. They can access the clients' machines and can perform various troubleshooting tasks to fix the issues. All these things are possible today due to the advancements in the IT field. This is serving us with innumerous benefits in terms of growth in the financial resources, productivity and increased service quality.
Annant Panday is working as a Digital Marketing Executive in ProVal Technologies. It is providing Noc Services and Business IT support to its clients and work as their own IT department. It gives a free and relaxing atmosphere by taking charge of the technical issues proactively.